Jodi dabbed her mouth with a napkin and sat back, giving Penelope a fond smile. “I sometimes think that when God hears us making statements about our future plans, what wewillandwill notdo, He laughs. Then He rubs his hands together and says, ‘We’ll see about that.’”
“Gah.”
“There’s a verse... I wish I could remember it exactly. But, to paraphrase, it basically says that we can make plans, but it’s the Lord who will determine our steps.”
“I’ve lived by my rule for ten years.”
“And I totally get why you made that rule for yourself. But if God has other ideas or it’s no longer what you want for yourself, you have the power to unmake your rule. There’s no shame in that. It’s not that you failed at rule-keeping. It’s just that circumstances changed.”
Penelope explained that, since receiving Eli’s haiku, she’d texted him her thanks. He’d saidyou’re welcome. And that had been it. “You’ve been married to a fighter pilot for a while,” Penelope said. “Should I decide to date Eli, what pros and what cons should I expect?”
“Based on what you’ve told me, you already have a good grip on the cons. The girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, and husbands of those in the military don’t have it easy. At all. Long absences are rough on relationships.” She followed the progress of her spork as she swirled it through mixed berries. “It was particularly rough on me when our kids were small. I’d function as a single mom for months at a time. Then when Chris came home, I’d need to immediately adjust back to being a married mom with a husband at home.”
“I can imagine.”
“You’ll come into contact with plenty of people who’ll disapprove of the politics of whatever president’s in office. They’ll give you an earful about all the ways the president is mishandling the military.”
Penelope winced. She loathed politics.
“Should you date someone in the military, you’ll have to accept that their duty will often come before you. Sometimes they’ll be given a choice and they’ll have to try to balance what’s best for their relationship with what’s best for their career. Other times, they won’t be given a choice.”
“I understand.”
Jodi swallowed a bite. Her focus meandered to her kids. They’d finished their pie and were now sitting cross-legged facing each other. The older sister was teaching her brother a hand-clap routine.
Jodi’s gaze returned to Penelope. “Loving someone in the military requires great sacrifice. But it also comes with great reward.” Her eyes harbored years of experience, her mouth a curl of tenderness. “I married a hero, Penelope. I’ve never lost sight of that.”
Penelope nodded.
“The men and women who do this work are courageous. What could be a greater honor than loving and supporting someone who’s given their oath to protect their country and their countrymen, even at the cost of their own life?”
“I can’t think of one,” Penelope answered, humbled. Put that way, her pie-making contribution to the world seemed very small.
“I’m incredibly proud of Chris.”
Penelope thought of Eli, in Syria for months. Flying mission after mission there. Dealing with the discomforts and the pressures. Executing his job. Committed.
“Another positive,” Jodi continued, “is that I’ve made friends who’ve become closer to me than family members. This life fosters amazingly deep friendships. My friends have had my back so many times.”
A few minutes passed while Jodi finished her pie.
“What are you going to do?” Jodi asked.
Penelope groaned. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but after all this time, I’m leaning toward dissolving my ironclad dating rule. It’s just... it’s just that I’m concerned. He’s leaving in six months. Is your family going to Germany, too?”
“We are.”
“Do you think it’s smart for me to start something with Eli now?”
Jodi lifted a shoulder. “A lot can happen in six months. I’d suggest you do what your heart tells you to do, then let God determine your steps.”
•••
Around dinnertime the following night, Penelope was absorbed in an episode ofThe Great British Baking Showwhen a knock sounded on her door.
She startled and Roy pounced straight up into the air. He landed furtively. His flat face asked,Expecting anyone?
“Nope.” She rose, the farfetched hope that it might be Eli tugging upward inside her like a kite. She aligned her eye with the door’s peephole.
